A Rare Event
by Celestial Dragon in flight
Summary: Dib and Zim see a rainbow.


I don't own any characters from Invader Zim, they are all property of Jhonen Vasques.

**A Rare Event**

Dib's P. O. V.

As I stepped out of the skool building, I took a deep breath from the crisp air. The storm that had been raging for most of the morning had ridden it of the cities pollutants, if only temporarily. Although the sun now ruled over the playground, I could still hear the thunder and see the clouds off in the distance.

I quickly made a dash for a tree at the edge of the playground. I wanted to get a better view of the storm than I had from below the fence line and that tree was the only one with branches that I could reach. I'd have tried the jungle gym but the other children never let me near it.

As I ran through the wet grass, my hopes soared. Maybe if the light were right, I'd see one. It had been years since… _but what were the odds_? As I reached the tree, I found myself wondering if it was worth the climb. Chances were, all that I would see were dark clouds. I didn't think I could stand the disappointment again.

I was just about to turn back when I heard footsteps behind me. Even before he spoke, I knew who it was. There's only one person who'd be willing to pay attention to what I'm doing, one person who ever cared about what I did. I couldn't find it in me to summon the anger I usually had toward him right then though. "Hey Zim," I said, near emotionlessly. "What are you doing here."

I felt it was a valid question. Even with whatever he was using to repel the affects of water on his skin, he did everything he could to avoid the liquid. This part of the field was so saturated with rain that I could hear the water slurp every time I lifted my boots.

"The mighty Zim has come here to discover what you're planning," Zim stated in his usual "superior" tone. "What ever it is, I shall make sure you fail horribly."

I turned and looked at him "I'm not planning anything."

"LIES!" he shrieked and leapt at me.

Instead of fighting, I spun around and dashed for the tree. I jumped and grabbed the bottom limb, using my momentum to swing up into the branches.

From below I heard Zim boasting of his victory but I tuned it out as I moved up to a higher branch where there was less foliage.

I looked off toward the storm clouds from my perch. I felt a smile spread across my face as my breath caught in my throat at the sight before me. "…Wow."

Suddenly, I heard a disturbance in the branches below me. I looked down to see that Zim had just begun ascending the tree. He looked up at me and yelled, in utter fury, "How dare you ignore the mighty Zim, especially after his great victory over you. Now bow and acknowledge my superiority!"

Zim's P. O.V.

Instead of admitting defeat, the Dib laughed. It wasn't the laugh he uses when he gains the upper hand in our battles. I'd never heard him laugh like this before. His legs hung from the branch, slowly swinging back and forth even as the sound trailed off.

"What?" I asked, wondering what it was I had said that caused him to react in such a way.

"The whole purpose of coming over here was to reach this branch. You didn't win anything." He had a big, goofy smile on his big, goofy head as he said this.

So, there was something special about this tree. "Well, if that branch is so important, then I shall take it from you and discover its secrets. Then I shall use them against you, Dib Monkey." As I said this I started climbing.

Again, that laugh, "there's nothing special about the branch."

"Then why would you want it?" I stopped and asked angrily.

"To see the rainbow."

"What is this _rainbow_ you speak of?" The word seems strange on my tongue. Whatever is was, it didn't sound good. How could it be, when it made a reference to water?

He gave me one of those looks that said I was asking about something any human would know. Then, after a moment, he smiled again and said, "come up and see for yourself."

As I hesitantly climbed up to the branch, he vacated it and moved to one nearby. "If this turns out to be one of your tricks, you…" I forgot what I was going to say as a ribbon of light against the dark rain clouds caught my eyes. Not even my Pak could come up with an explanation for the arch of color that glowed off in the distance.

"How…" I couldn't find the words I wanted to say.

Dib knew what I wanted to ask though. "It's made by the sunlight traveling through the rain. The drops act like prisms, refracting the light and allowing us to see all of its colors. Neat, Huh."

"Yeah." I found myself agreeing. "Why don't you come up here after every storm to see this?" I looked at Dib as I gestured toward the distant arch.

"It's not something that happens all the time. It needs special conditions and even with them, it might not appear."

"So it's not common?"

"No, this is a rare event."

Dib's P. O. V.

We sat, staring at the rainbow off in the distance. Neither of us spoke, knowing that any words could ruin the moment. When the phenomenon faded out of sight, as it had to, Zim and I sighed. Suddenly feeling very awkward, I gave Zim a sideways glance. He must have felt the same, because he started whistling an odd tune, which died off after a couple moments.

The next thing I knew, we were both rushing out of the tree and away from each other as fast as we could. I didn't stop running until I reached the stairs where Gaz was sitting. Zim joined some of the other children in a game of dodge ball, an attempt to blend in with us natives. The battle lines had reappeared and we were once again on the opposite sides of our war for the earth.

Whenever I think back to that time in the tree, staring off into the distance in an amiable silence, I can't help but reflect on my final words.

'This is a rare event.'

A rare event indeed.


End file.
